I wrote about paradox in Warrior’s Quest and part of the motivating force was this poem. It takes real courage to accept paradox and hold the tension. The hole in the whole completes the whole.
Thirty spokes
meet in the hub.
Where the wheel isn’t
is where it’s useful.
Hollowed out,
clay makes the pot.
Where the pot’s not
is where it’s useful.
Cut doors and windows
to make a room.
Where the room isn’t
there’s room for you.
So the profit in what is
is in the use of what isn’t.
Lao Tzu
We do need young people. We need to make sure change happens in a meaningful manner. We need to find the balance between the energy of youth and the wisdom of all who have something to offer or we fall into a cynical world. It is what got us to where we are in North America.
Who goes to school, when they’re exhausted from work, on a night when they don’t even have class?
THIS GIRL. Right here. Yea, me.
All I wanted to do tonight was curl up in bed and eat ice cream. But no, I didn’t go do that. Instead, I dragged myself to my college campus because my school is pretty awesome and hosted TedxFIU.
For those of you who read my blog regularly, you know how much I love Ted Talks. So obviously, when I heard that FIU would be hosting their very own Tedx event, I knew I had to be there.
And I’m certainly glad I was.
Alot of great speakers presented.
They also served FREE FOOD, which is really all that’s necessary to make a college event successful.
But what I loved the most about this event was hearing from two young students who have sought to…
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I sat today and was going to post a Lao Tzu poem, The Uses of Not. I typed a short preamble and realized it was a Sabbath poem. Sometimes it is in paradox I find the most sense. It is in questions that I deepen conversations. I am in service of the questions. Earlier this week, I said I spent much of my life chasing answers. This is an echo of Father Richard Rohr who says maturity leads us to stop chasing certainty. I seek eloquent questions with no ready answers: and invite others into conversations. I might have used pirate, but I began reading Shambhala:The Path of the Sacred Warrior by Chögyam Trungpa recently and it offered a new understanding, for me, of the word warrior.
Paradox–
Seemingly incompatible tempest
Space invites space
Forms a spacious meadow.
Deepen conversations–
Without ready answers;
But, eloquent questions
Be open, surprised.
A warrior’s quest–
Lighten the load
Be grateful and receive the gifts
Serve the journey.
Shape paths–
Ready each step
Because it is right
And not fully known.
This sounded much like a recent poem I wrote. It expresses a deep sentiment. It does take courage to face life.
It was a long day. I just started thumbing through some right brain scribbling and this popped out at me.
From chaos, hope–
Faith springs from community,
Companions bring wisdom,
Symphonic voices–
Harmony of diversity.
Bind together
Mine eloquent questions;
Provides raw materials;
And life polishes–
Rare beauty under pressure.
Hold each other gently
Be unsure together
Be companions.
Break bread
Be safe in this place.
This is an interesting question. Do we compartmentalize in ways which allow us to ‘survive’ those parts of the job we don’t like? Research indicates the unhappiest time on average for adults is on the job and the second is the commute to work. What causes this unhappiness, real or imagined?
I am in Vancouver International Airport. I am tired, but, I think, I was rewarded these last few days. I am grateful I was able to turn in and reflect. After a tough day, I people around me reached out and seemed to sense my discomfort. The result was gratifying, but it was not the result. Instead, it was the comfort being with people who cared and brought me into the fold.
I wonder what makes me who I am? Is it the moments I drop my shield of invincibility and show a vulnerable self? That is a scary place, but is so rewarding. It is the slowness of a crock pot where the fruit of intimacy is born. Here, I gain identity in the a relational and caring mirror. But, it sneaks up on me without even realizing it is there.
In a wondrous space
One’s most guarded secrets;
Unshared desires;
Find form—
In a carnival mirror,
Is that me?
Vulnerable—
Lie with a lover
An uncertain first time
Truest intimacy blooms;
That is who I am
Revealed in the other.
Stay human friends.
This is such a powerful story. It gives one hope and faith in the future when we have young people who are determined to better their lives despite the risks.
Isaiah 11:16 The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them.
At the age of 11/12, a young girl named Malala Yousafzai wrote a blog detailing her life under Taliban rule and her views on education for girls. That summer a documentary featured her and her fight for education for girls. Suddenly people around the world were listening to a little girl. She gave interviews in print and on television. She has since been nominated for the International Children’s Peace Prize by Desmond Tutu and has won Pakistan’s first National Youth Peace Prize. A number of prominent individuals, including the Canadian Minister of Citizenship, are supporting a petition to nominate her for the Nobel Peace Prize.
In 2009, the Taliban issued an edict that girls could…
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I enjoy the counter cultural nature of Parker Palmer’s writing and the concepts in the Art of Hosting. I write about Parker‘s work often and he describes the listening we need to do to our inner teacher and others as counter cultural. When we invite people into conversation, listen deeply, and ask questions which shake our certainty about the world the same applies.
Today, I walked to the top of Cates Hill here on Bowen Island. It was spectacular. A colleague took this picture as I was writing. Notice I am on high ground and wearing sandals. I got up there of my accord
Perched pensively
Pencil in hand;
My senses alive
I awake–
Aware.
Sounds flow,
A breeze caresses,
Sunlight bathes,
Peaceful moments–
I bask in each.
Sometimes we long for things that are readily available perhaps as a memory, an opening of the heart and mind, or being aware we do belong in some fashion.
ivonprefontaine
Teacher as Transformer 